


Death and Honor

by MsBluebell



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga), Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Based Loosely on Brilliant Shadows, Coming of Age, Friends to Lovers, Friendship is Magic, Idiots in Love, Jim Crocodile Cook Is Too Smart For Your Shit, Kaiba Seto Has Issues, Leo Akaba's A+ Parenting, Magic, Magic School, Mix of Manga and Show Characterization, More closely follows the manga, Multi, Not all soulmates are romantic, Royalty, School Life, Slow Burn, Stalking, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Worldbuilding, Yuri Is His Own Warning, political corruption
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-05-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23821441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell
Summary: Every necromancer needs a paladin, and every paladin needs a necromancer.Judai is a young and talented necromancer that has failed twice to find a compatible paladin to balance out his power, but he's sure he'll find the right partner this year! Third time's the charm, after all.Enter Johan.
Relationships: Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Manjoume Jun | Chazz Princeton/Tenjouin Asuka | Alexis Rhodes, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Misawa Daichi | Bastion Misawa & Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki, Misawa Daichi | Bastion Misawa/Tanya, Sakaki Yuya & Yugo & Yuri & Yuto
Comments: 27
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

Withered petals crinkle beneath his fingertips as Judai tries to cradle the rose _gently_ , but he’s just not a gentle person, and he grips just a little too hard, snapping the dried stem in his hand, “Aw, dammit.”  
  
“Come now, Judai, you can still do it.” Daichi Misawa mutters, glancing side-eyed over his deskmate with a small frown, taking in the broken stem, “Just concentrate and you’ll fix that as well.”  
  
“I got it, I got it.” The brunette waved his free hand, eyes fixated almost obsessively on the withered and dried flower now hanging loosely in his grip. The fires of determination burned within his very soul! He would get this! He would! It was just a stupid flower! Easy peasy. It was Necromancer 101, super easy. No problem at all!  
  
He poured his magic into the rose, feeling the dark energy burn through his veins. Black thresiles of magic curl and creep from his skin, twisting around the fallen flower and breathing life back into it. Slowly, the rose regained color, red bleeding into the petals as they regained softness. The stem greened, thorns sharpening and snapped stem bleeding.  
  
Shoot, the stem wasn’t fixing. “Aww.”  
  
“Try actually _straightening_ the stem before you bring it back, Judai.” Daichi gave a smug smile, “Come on now, surely the greatest necromancer of the year should be able to find the simple solution.”  
  
“Hey, give me a break. This is considered pretty hard y’know.” Judai waved the rose in his desk partner’s face, the now living flower waving from it’s broken stem like a guillotine. The petals bashed Daichi on the nose, causing the yellow clad student to scrunch up his nose and sneeze. The brunette grinned widely, hiding the smile behind a red sleeve as his fellow student glared at him.  
  
“Be that as it may, Judai, there’s no need to waste magic trying to reconnect the stem with pure magic when the simple solution is right there.” Daichi rubbed his nose, holding his own, perfect, yellow rose in his adjacent hand and presenting it to Judai. “Sometimes less is more, my friend.”  
  
“I’m just trying to expand my magic pool, Bazzy buddy.” Judai grinned, waving his rose again. The poor flower had finally had enough, though, and the stem finally snapped fully off, the head falling to the desk, leaving half a stem in the boy's hand. Amber eyes widened almost comically, the boy dropping the remaining stem and gripping his hair, “Awww maaaaaaaaaan.”  
  
“You can still fix it.” Daichi gave him a sporting pat on the back. He glanced towards the teacher’s podium at the head of the class. Professor Daitokuji seemed distracted enough with his work, and by work he meant petting the mummified cat in his lap, it’s ears flickering as the respected professor watched his students. Pharaoh the cat was something of a marvel to the necromancing community. A mummified cat the professor excavated from a tomb and brought back by the very man training them. It was an unspeakably impressive feat, and one all young necromancers dreamed to match one day. “Professor Daitokuji isn’t coming over, so we should be fine for a bit. Try doing it the way I suggested.”  
  
“But I want to expand my pool.” Judai grumbled, scratching his head and staring longingly at the rose splayed on his desk. He pouted at it, as if that would somehow make the rose comply with his demands. It didn’t, of course, but he gave it a good try. The red clad student huffed again, letting his chin hit the desk, “Stupid rose.”  
  
“You can try to expand your pool _after_ you do the proper assignment.” Daichi picked up the head of the broken rose, waving it in front of Judai’s face. “You do yourself no good if you fail your assignments.”  
  
“Yeah, yeah.” Judai straightened himself back up, snatching the rose back from his friend, stabbing himself with the thorns with the thoughtless action. He yelped, tears building in his eyes as he dropped the rose again and sucked on his fingers, mourning the pain already. “Owwwww.”  
  
The clamer student sighed once again, placing down his own rose gently and crossing his arms over the desk. He placed a sympathetic hand on the other boy’s shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. “Judai, I know you’re frustrated, but you’re doing yourself more harm than good if you keep acting recklessly.”  
  
“I can’t help it Daichi.” Judai threw himself back in his chair, staring forlornly at the ceiling, “I _gotta_ be at the top of my game for the ritual! I’m never gonna find a partner if I’m not at my best!”  
  
Daichi grimaced at the mention of the ritual. He dropped his hand, a knot twisting in his stomach as he turned to stare ahead. He would never say it out loud, but he wasn’t over confident in neither Judai nor his own results in the events to come. He is a man of maths, of facts and figures, and the numbers are unfortunately stacked up against him. He and Judai have both been through the paring ritual twice, and both times they’ve failed to find a compatible paladin.  
  
The dark haired boy felt his hands clench involuntarily against the hardwood. If he couldn’t find a compatible paladin this year then the academy may very well fail him out of their institution. There were only so many chances he could count on, no matter how talented he was. And every failure was one tick closer to hopeless failure. And from there would be a life of mediocrity. He’d be a failure, a necromancer that couldn’t even find a paladin. His best hope then would be as a hedge mage doing minor spells in a village somewhere.  
  
Granted, such a thing wouldn’t be a bad life, per se. But he and Judai both have been looked at as necromancers with great potential, incredibly talented youths that could go on to be great if only they had the chance.  
  
But it was all wasted if they couldn’t find a paladin compatible with their magic.  
  
Without a paladin to partner with, any attempts to go beyond mediocre spells would only lead to catastrophic results for themselves. They’d be overwhelmed by the sheer dark magic, and lost within their own power, doomed to become a ghoul at best, a demon at worst. The same could be said for the paladins on the other end, their sheer light of their magic damaging their bodies beyond repair. Blinding them or charring off their flesh, or in the worst cases sheering their very souls from their bodies, leaving them hollow husks.  
  
But there was a solution in the pairing ritual.  
  
Through the ritual a compatible paladin and necromancer could be partnered, having their magic veins stitched together to feed off each other, trying the two mages together forever. Through this, both mages could not only delve into more powerful magics with the assurance their partner’s magic would pull them back. Not only that, but the two magics would constantly feed each other, expanding both mage’s capacity for magic tremendously.  
  
But it was useless if they couldn’t find a partner.  
  
Most mages could find a partner if they took part in the ritual. It was, after all, a school wide event for second years and up. Students from all three dorms, Obelisk Blue, Ra Yellow, and Slifer Red alike, all gathered together in hopes of finding a partner compatible with themselves.  
  
Most students found themselves a partner during their first ritual, though there were always some outliers that needed a second chance.  
  
But to have failed twice...well, that was worrying.  
  
He quite feared what would happen if he and Judai failed to find a partner again. Failing a second time was...not good. If he fails a third time…  
  
“Hey.” A sharp jab numbed Daichi’s arm. The Ra Yellow student hissed, rubbing his bicep and glaring at the Slifer Red. “You’re thinking too much.”  
  
“Oh, so sorry.” The boy glared at his friend, “It’s only the most important ritual of our life, of which you and I have both _failed_ twice before.”  
  
Judai laughed, throwing his arms behind his head and leaning back on the rear two legs of his chair, “Is that all you’re worried about? Chill out Daichi! We’re sure to find our partners this year! Third times the charm y’know!”  
  
“Oh Judai.” Daichi huffed, body losing its tenseness, fondness taking hold of him reluctantly. He flicked his fingers, a nervous habit. “To be so carefree in the face of crushing defeat.”  
  
“Relaaaaaaaaaax.” Judai only grinned wider, “No way are we gonna go without again this year. I can feel it in my gut Daichi. This is the year!”  
  
“You said that last year.” Daichi reminded him with a grimace, hands curling against the desk again. “And yet here we are.”  
  
“And we’ve only gotten better since then!” Judai dropped his chair, giving his friend a hearty pat on the back, smacking the breath out of the Ra student. “So quit worrying! We’re top notch! Sure to get a partner this year for sure!”  
  
Oh, to be so confident. Daichi leaned against his fist, gazing at his desk partner dully, “And what will you do if the ritual leaves you without a mark again?”  
  
“Not gonna happen.” Judai nodded again, picking up his broken rose at last and finally sticking the broken stem back together. Brown eyes narrowed, and a swirl of dark magic spread through the plant flesh, knitting the flower back together, leaving the rose whole and beautiful once again. Judai cheered, throwing his hands in the air, the rose flying into the sky. “You’ll see.”  
  
From his seat, Professor Daitokuji looked up towards the ruckus, his ever present calm smile on his face, “Ahhh, Judai, I see you completed your task well enough.”  
  
“Sure did Daitokuji !” Judai shot up from his seat, catching the rose and waving it like a flag at his teacher. “Easy peasy teach!”  
  
“Good, good.” Daitokuji nodded, petting Pharaoh's back rhythmically. His smile was still easy even as he spoke again, “Well then! Perhaps you wouldn’t mind starting on the rest of the rose bush, since you seem to have plenty of energy to spare.”  
  
“Awwww.” Judai sank back into his desk, whining loudly as his chin hit the wood, “Come on, teach, have mercy!”  
  
“That goes for all of you.” Daitokuji practically sang the words, “When you’re done with the roses then go to one of the dead bushes and start working until class is over! It will be excellent practice!”  
  
This time it was the rest of the class’ turn to groan.  
  
“Now, now. I won’t be grading the extra work.” Daitokuji reassured, raising his hand, waving off the protest with practiced ease. “No need to fret over that.”  
  
Few in this class seemed satisfied with the reassurance. But Judai was never someone that was going to turn down a challenge when it came to practicing his necromantic powers. He grinned instead, the assurance that he wasn’t going to flunk even if he failed all he needed to rapidly improve his already good mood. “Just you wait, Daitokuji! I’m going to revive every bush in this room!”  
  
“I will be very impressed if you do, Judai.” The professor praised airily, waving the boy off. “Have fun.”  
  
The red students didn’t even wait, already out of his seat and rushing towards the nearest potted bush. It was nothing but twisted limbs of thorns and cracked leaves, with only a few withered bulbs to speak of. Breathing life back into such a thing would be difficult, and likely burn through the meager pools of magic an unbonded mage would possess. Daichi sighed as he followed reluctantly, joining his friend in the task.  
  
But Judai was too busy to pay attention, already twisting the energy from his veins and into the plant, color slowly brightening the branches. It actually wasn’t a difficult task for someone with as much practice as the two of them, but the fact it was supposed to be challenging for those at their level silently bothered Daichi. But he didn’t say anything, instead simply kneeling and readying himself to spend the rest of their lesson practicing, half listening to Judai as he prattled on.  
  
“Anyway, like I was saying, you need to chill out and stop worrying so much.” Judai continued right where he left off, not missing a beat. “They’re bringing students from other branches this year, right? Our partners were probably just at the other schools this whole time!”  
  
“Oh Judai.” Daichi muttered fondly. Sometimes his friend’s good spirit and naivety was endearing, though he could do with some tempered expectation in this regard. While bringing in more students from other branches of the school did increase the possibility that they would find a partner, Daichi didn’t take this as a solid resolution by far. No, the pairing ritual, Daichi sumizes, calculates magical compatibility between mages present in the range of it’s casting. It wasn’t a matter of finding the right person, it was a matter of pure compatibility with anyone. So if by their second ritual they hadn’t found someone, then there must be something inherently wrong with their magic that makes it volatile and unable to pair with the ease others would, leaving them as risky and undesirable partners despite their talent. It was likely that, unless there were two paladins with magical veins that could soothe such volatile magic without harm, then they were unlikely to ever be paired.  
  
But Judai never believed in the math, even after Daichi had carefully built up the courage to break the news to the brunette boy after their second failure. Judai had just laughed loudly and told him not to worry, that the right people for them would come along soon. Judai was a bit of a romantic at heart, and he was oh so sure that they just needed to wait for just the right person. 

“I’m telling you, Daichi. Have a little faith.” Judai shook the bush, making the poor thing loose a few leaves from the abuse.  
  
“Bold words from a man that was so convinced he’d pair with his best friend.” Daichi pointed out, reminding Judai of their first failed ritual. Poor Shou, he and Judai had been so convinced they would pair. Daichi had never been oversure, Shou not being the strongest of paladins by far, much less one that Daichi could see matching up to Judai’s level of pure, raw, power.

Still, it had been...rather difficult to see Shou’s crushing disappointment after the ritual was over and Judai remained unmarked whilst he now supported an unique earth and metal mark upon the back of his hand. The teary eyes would have been unbearable if Daichi hadn’t been distracted with his own unequaled fear at remaining unmarked.  
  
Then again, seeing Shou’ face after he realized Kenzan was his necromancer had been rather hilarious. It almost made up for all the failures. 

“Hey, Shou just wasn’t a right fit.” Judai scratched the back of his head again, grinning wide and big. He wasn’t bothered at all, didn’t seem even the slightest bit scared of what the future may hold for them. “Like, sure, it would’ve been cool to partner up with one of my besties, but hey, that just means there’s someone else out there I’d be better partners with!”  
  
“Right.” Daichi tugged on a rose, draining himself of valuable energy to bring it back. Perhaps he should slow down and save some energy to consort with spirits tonight, make contingency plans for if the ritual fails for him again. He fixated on those thoughts, pulling away from his task as plans formed in his mind. Yes, he should save his energy and visit a grave, or ask a spirit about the best place to set up shop. He should…  
  
A rose pelted his face.  
  
“You’re doing that thing where you think too much again.” Judai crossed his legs, leaning forward to get in his face, “Relllllllllaaaaaaaaaaxxxxxxxxx. We’ve got this.”  
  
“Right, right.” Daichi settled on the floor, wrinkling his nose. Mentally, he decided to make room for Judai in his plans, because the boy clearly wasn’t going to make contingencies of his own. Perhaps Judai could join him in this hypothetical shop? No, no. Judai has a wanderer's soul. Perhaps a caravan in place of a shop? Traveling merchants? It could work…  
  
“Daaaaiiiichhhiiii. Come on.” Judai kicked his knee again, “How many times are you going to do this? You’re letting bad thoughts get to you, man. If you keep going like this you won’t even make it to the ritual.”  
  
“We’ve only a month to prepare, Judai.” Daichi flicked him on the nose. “Excuse me for being worried.”  
  
The brunette straightened, suddenly looking very serious. Daichi paused at the expression, taken aback. It was...rare...to see such a look on his friend’s face. Almost unnatural. And it commanded all of his attention instantly.  
  
“Listen.” Judai leaned in, hands on his knees. His brown eyes were locked with Daichi’s own grey orbs, an intense stare down. “Whatever happens with the ritual, we’re going to be alright.”  
  
“Judai, there’s no telling what could go wrong.” Daichi tried to reason, tricking off the ways on his fingers, “We could both fail again and be kicked out of the school. Or something could be wrong with our magic. Or…”  
  
“Or nothing. No matter what, we’re going to be fine.” Judai drops both hands on his shoulders, “Daichi, I promise, even if I get a partner and you don’t, or we both don’t get partners, we’re going to be fine. I’m not gonna ditch you. Worst comes to worst, at least we’ve got each other and the rest of our pals, right?”  
  
Despite himself, Daichi felt a twinge in his heart. It was soft, and warm, and painfully sentimental. His lip twitched, but he kept his face carefully neutral. “Oh? Are you so sure about that?”  
  
“Heck yeah!” Judai threw him a thumbs up, winking at him. “Shou is our buddy! And no way is Asuka gonna ditch us, no matter what Jun says! Not that he’d ditch us either, he’d totally stick around and pretend he hates us; you know Jun. And Ryou may seem like a hardass, but he’s a big softy. So don’t worry so much, I’m sure they’ll help us out.”  
  
Judai has such complete confidence in this fact that Daichi was almost convinced. Afterall, Judai wasn’t necessarily wrong. He, and by extension Daichi, had stumbled upon friendship with some rather powerful and influential people. People with bright futures in politics, or high connections in magical court, or were just plain wealthy. And each and every one of those people had developed a genuine friendship with the Silfer student that he had no doubts they would not only help him if he needed it, but would happily pull in favors to ensure he has a bright future.  
  
Daichi eased a bit, he wouldn’t give up his contingency plans involving Judai, but his mind was a bit more eased with the reminder that they did have a good social network. “Perhaps you’re right…”  
  
“Course I am!” Judai nudged him in the arm, a big and confident grin still plastered on his face, eyes bright with victory, “So stop it before you stress yourself out so much you don’t even make it to the ritual. We’ve got this. We’re gonna be on our A game when it’s time, and you and I will both walk out of that stadium with new partners, paladin or not, cause I’m sure as heck ain’t ditchin ya after all we’ve been through.”  
  
Daichi’s heart warmed considerably now, and he affectionately nudged Judai’s arm with his fist, “You better not. There’s no calculable way you would have passed the last three years without me.”  
  
The brunette laughed at that, scratching his cheek bashfully, “Oh, come on, I aced all the practicals.”  
  
“But your papers are atrocious.” Daichi nudged him again, “If I hadn’t insisted on making you study and checking over your papers then you wouldn’t have to worry about the ritual. They would have failed you years ago.”  
  
It wasn’t necessarily true. For particularly talented mages sometimes the council was willing to...turn a blind eye, so to speak. Especially if they thought they could recruit the mage’s services. It was somewhat of an open secret, but Daichi wasn’t about to say it out loud to Judai, preferring their easy comradery to questionable politics.  
  
“Oh, come on, I’m not…” Judai couldn’t even finish that sentence, blushing furiously, “Don’t call me out like this, man.”  
  
“Remember when I asked you to join me in the library for our first study section and I had to find out you didn’t even know where the library _was_ ?” Daichi teased him more, unwilling to let that horrifying fact go. “How did you expect to ever connect with spirits, much less animate a corpse, without knowing basic theory?”  
  
“Instinct, man, I told you.” Judai elbowed his arm again, “Stop mocking me, I go to our study dates don’t I?”  
  
“Only because I make you.” Daichi reminded, poking the boy in the arm in retaliation, “I still can’t believe I have to bribe you to study for your own exams. You’d think the fear of failure would be enough.”  
  
“Nah man, I’m absolutely flawless, no way I’d fail.” Judai saluted him with two fingers, winking at him like the terrible influence he is. It was a shame Judai wasn’t a paladin, he had the temperament for it, and Daichi could see himself pairing with the boy. A platonic pair, forever bonded in friendship and balance. Oh well, fate had made its choice, and it wasn’t like Daichi wasn’t forever bonded in friendship regardless. Besides, Judai made for a fantastic rival to which he could compare his skills and improve himself. Still, Daichi can’t help but think that he and his friend would have made for a fearsome duo. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be in his humble opinion.  
  
“If you do happen to find a partner at the ritual, I pray they’re prepared for you, Judai.” Daichi mused. Whoever Judai paired with would have to be a real sport to keep up with the boy, much less keep him out of trouble. If Judai paired off after this ritual Daichi was going to give his partner a good, hearty, handshake and a firm salute, because they must be quite the incredible individual if they’re capable of balancing Judai Yuki for the rest of their life.  
  
“What’s _that_ supposed to mean?” Judai demanded, picking a leaf off the bush they were absentmindedly still working on and tossing it in his face, where it harmlessly hit his cheek.  
  
“Nothing Judai.” Daichi returns to his work, “Nothing at all, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you and your paladin are going to take the world by storm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I came to A03 to read a long Spiritshipping fic after rewatching GX some fifteen or so years later and being unsatisfied with the ending, but there weren't many. And going back to Fanfiction.net didn't work out for me. So, taking the almighty words of Thanos to heart, I decided to do it myself.
> 
> This AU is slightly based off a Visual Novel that came out a few years ago called Brilliant Shadows. It's not an exact match, but I liked the premise and thought it'd be a cool setting. My world building and the dynamics play out differently from the game, however, so don't think this fic is a perfect copy of Brilliant Shadow's world or magic system.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for food has never felt so lonely.

Okay, so the truth is that Judai probably did need the extra two years of school; much as he hates to admit it.  
  
Studying with Daichi really has made him understand a lot of the stuff he didn’t better, no matter what Professor Chronos says. It’s not Judai’s fault Daichi is a better teacher than him. The Ra Yellow student just knows how to explain things in a way that’s easy to understand, okay! All the other teachers just made things more complicated than they needed to be! But Daichi has a good smart to idiot translator! It’s really helped him out with understanding this stuff!  
  
And maybe the extra two years have been good for him, like, emotionally too. Now that he’s been forced to slow down and think more about what he’s been doing, being stuck at a standstill in school and all, and _maybe_ running on sheer instinct _wasn’t_ as good an idea as he thought when he finally convinced his parents to enroll him in the academy. He kinda doesn’t want to say it out loud, but learning all that theory really helped out. Spells come easier to him now. And things that used to drain him dry of his magical reserves he can do almost instinctively now. He’s been stuck at basics for two years, but it’s like he’s been training a muscle over and over and over until suddenly the world feels less heavy. 

He’s way better at doing things using as little of his magic pools as possible, and things that used to tank his stamina are _way_ easier. And he just...feels a little more mature, a little bit more calm and stuff. He actually stops to think about stuff now, even if it’s not enough for Daichi and Asuka and Jun. But he _does_ think more. It’s _progress_ .  
  
So, overall, spending two more years at school has made him a more calm, mature, talented mage.

That all said, he actually really, really, _really_ wants to pair off with a paladin _right now._

Judai groans, throwing himself back on his bed. It’s the bottom of a bunk bed, a remaint of a time when he used to share this dorm with Sho and Hayato. But they’ve both moved on by now, having graduated. Right now Hayato is already an _artist_ and ritual designer for the Pegasus Kingdom, and Sho had graduated with his necromancer partner last year and was probably...doing... _something_ . And now Judai had the whole room to himself, stark and empty and...well...pretty lonely.  
  
Really, really, lonely.  
  
It’s not that Judai couldn’t handle being alone, really. Heck, he kind isn’t ever alone when the world is covered in spirits. All he had to do was let the magic burn through his veins…

...but it wasn’t quite the same as having friends around. And, sometimes, you just want to chill with your buddies. And, while his parents weren’t...well...they were loving and they supported him, but they weren’t always _around._ And it sometimes felt like they weren’t ever there at all. Too busy with their work as part of Kaiba’s Company to stick around (they were something called shareholders in a _corporation_ , as they called it, but Judai didn’t know enough about business anymore to understand what they did other than help run the joint). And if they were around more when he was little, well, he just doesn’t remember it.

He doesn’t really remember much from his childhood. It’s all blank.

The brunette shifted restlessly, feeling his stomach squirm. He stared at the bottom of the top bunk, and if he listened hard enough he could almost pretend that maybe Hayato was still up there, snoring his day away like those koalas he loved so much. But Judai was never good at sitting still, so it only took a few seconds before restlessness took hold again and he threw himself off the bed. He fumbled onto his feet, shaking out the red sleeves of his uniform and stumbling over to his desk.  
  
He still had one friend here, after all.  
  
He shuffled through the desk, knocking over a few odds and ends before pulling out the small box he kept in the second drawer. Grinning, he plopped the box on the desk, throwing it open. He let his fingers brush against the skellington inside, tapping into his magical veins and pouring power into his eyes, letting them glow temporarily as he activated the spirit seeing spell, “Heya Winged Kuriboh.”  
  
“Kuriiiiiiiiii~” The spirit purred, contact made. The puffball cooed affectionately, translucent spirit loving the attention showered on it by the necromancer.  
  
One of the things Jaden was looking most forward to after finding a paladin was permanently being able to use the spirit seeing spell. Many necromancers that were paired supported a permanent pair of glowing eyes, and Judai wants that kind of skill with a _burning_ passion.  
  
And, one day, he’d get that. And then it would just be one more step to bringing the level one draconic creature back to _life._ It was an ambitious plan, but he’d do it!!  
  
“Having fun little buddy?” He petted the skull in place of the monster. He’s had a love for this monster ever since he first found him on the miniature-archeologist’s dig he got to go on as a kid. Overseen by the legendary necromancer and paladin archaeologists Yugi Muto and Pharaoh Atem!  
  
Sure, there were plenty of Kuriboh in the world, so it wasn’t considered a special find, but he was proud of finding his first friend! And he had earned a head pat from his idol and told he had a bright future. It was the greatest day of his tiny little life, and one of the few things he really remembers from that early in his childhood. The clearest in his head!

It had been in that moment, with one of the most powerful people in the world saying how well he’d done, that he knew no matter what he wanted to be a powerful mage worthy of that praise.  
  
“Kuri~” Hane Kuriboh responded, bouncing through the air in a little dance. It wasn’t much, but the mere presence of the spirit, being able to see and hear it, was enough to ease the knot that built in Judai’s chest. The Slifer student crossed his legs, adjusting himself in the seat to watch the spirit’s performance. He’d have to gordge himself on a lot of food to refill his magical pool for burning so much energy later, but Judai has never been someone who hated a good meal.  
  
“That’s good to hear.” He leaned back in the chair, still cross-legged, balancing by leaning against the desk. “I had a good day too.”  
  
“Kuriiiiiii~” The Kuriboh bounced, eyes on him. Judai took the look as a question.  
  
“Yeah.” Judai grinned big and wide, too busy balancing to pet his stomach.   
  
But, alas, he lost his balance anyway, the chair finally tipping and falling backwards. Judai yelped, launching himself instinctively from the seat, waving his arms desperately as he tried to find balance again. He ended up hopping on one foot a couple of times before it landed on a stray paper laying around on the floor and Judai went sailing straight for the floor, banking his head on the way down.  
  
“Owwww.” He cried dramatically, rubbing his forehead. Luckily, the floor was carpeted so the landing wasn’t as hard as it could be, but _still_ . He cracked open his eyes, half expecting someone to help him up, but only Hane Kuriboh was there, gazing down at him with teary eyes. The spirit cried out, floating above his face and shifting helplessly.  
  
“I’m okay.” Judai waved off the spirit’s concern. But he didn’t get up right away, his bones suddenly feeling really heavy. His eyes flickered around the room, studying the too blank walls in the suddenly all too empty space. Sho and Hayato used to have all sorts of things here; all sorts of plants and shrines and hanging art. But it’s all gone now, has been for months, and Judai doesn’t have too much of his own to fill the space. He hadn’t packed much when he left for the academy, and he hadn’t had much need to when he had roommates.  
  
It’s been months now, and he still can’t get used to how much space there suddenly was.  
  
Daichi says he should try decorating himself, if only to be less...what was that word he used? Something, something, hyper pobic or something. But whatever it was called, Judai couldn’t bring himself to do it. It felt a little too much like giving up hope.  
  
He feels his fist clenching against the carpet.  
  
It wouldn’t matter soon. Come the next ritual he _will_ find his paladin, so there’s no point in decorating, because either he’s going to move into his paladin’s dorm or his paladin is going to move into his dorm and decorate anyway. So there would be no point to taking up all the decoration space anyway. Soon he was gonna all that space anyway so he didn’t _need_ to.

He forces himself up, groaning as he moves his heavy limbs to help him. Hane Kuriboh gave a concerned cry, hovering around his head. But Judai just gave the spirit a reassuring grin, finally standing and scratching the back of his head, “Don’t worry! I’m okay!”  
  
Hane Kuriboh didn’t seem particularly convinced, floating aimlessly around his head. Judai just laughed, scratching the back of his neck to get the creak out. “See, right as rain.”  
  
The dragconic spirit didn’t seem convinced, keening softly. But Judai was nothing if not quick at bouncing back, so he just kept smiling for his little buddy, “I’ve always been clumsy, you know that.”  
  
Kuriboh flapped his little wings, the translucent feathers fluttering as if in the wind, a mere memory of what once was. 

“You know, you’re being really dramatic right now.” Judai told his pal, waving off the concern, “I’m fiiiiinnee. I promise you’ll be the first to know if I knock my brains out.”  
  
Because either Judai would be dead and his unpassed spirit would linger right beside the Kuriboh, or he’d be knocked himself out so bad that the spell would burn out. Speaking of which, he was starting to feel a little drained. He needed to get some fuel in him or the spell really would burn out. So he pats his stomach, walking towards the door, “Let’s go get some grub!”  
  
Jun used to say he was gonna get fat from all the eating he did trying to keep Kuriboh around. Well, Jun really didn’t get to talk. Judai knows for a fact that he used to overeat to keep those slug friends around before he paired with Asuka.  
  
‘ _Ojama is a level one acid nymph_.’ He could practically _hear_ Jun’s voice in his skull, ‘ _You’d know this if you ever opened a damned book in your life you slacker!’_ _  
__  
_“Whatever Jun.” Judai grinned, even if his fellow necromancer wasn’t there to hear him, he knew Jun could probably just _feel_ the teasing from wherever he and Asuka were now, probably in the royal court. Anyway, if Jun felt a sudden urge to punch something and remind the world to address him as Manjoume, then Judai would consider it a win.  
  
“Kuuuuriiii~” Hane Kuriboh looked at him inquisitively. But Judai only hummed, his mood ten times better after escaping his room.  
  
He strolled down the old and familiar stairs, heading for the small common area that counted as a cafeteria for them. Slifer Red wasn’t exactly the most fancy of dorms, but it was functional, and the food was good. It was a humble home, and he was fine with that. Despite his roots, he never needed much to be happy.  
  
His hand trailed along the worn stair rail, moving down the cold metal as he hummed. He had so many memories of the place, it had honestly become a real home to him. He was gonna miss it when he graduated next year!

...if he didn’t move into another dorm first…  
  
Judai paused, stopping to stare at the stair rail. There’s a familiar chip on the edge of this particular corner, the result of a game surprisingly gone wrong. He rubbed a thumb over it, feeling oddly sentimental. Don’t get him wrong, he realized a long time ago that when it came down to rooming with his paladin _he_ was probably going to have to be the one to move, and he’s been preparing for that, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to miss this place he’d learned to call home.

Sho had it easy, Kanzen had more than happily moved into their dorm, but Judai knows it’s really likely that he’ll get someone that doesn’t wanna stick to the Slifer dorms. If he partnered with a Ra student then maybe, but probably not. Silfer dorms just _weren’t_ the fanciest around, never mind willingly living in one when you had a nicer room. Ra students had _lobster_ for lunch sometimes, never mind stepping down to eat rice based meals everyday. And Obelisk Blue students? Yeah, Judai doesn’t see them even considering moving in, no matter how hard he negotiated. He’ll be dragged kicking and screaming to the blue dorms.  
  
“Huh.” Judai rubbed his thumb over the nick again, “I’m going to miss this place.”  
  
“Kurriiii~” Hane Kuriboh called for his attention, looking all concerned again. Judai snapped towards him, pulling his hand away from the rail.  
  
“Sorry, I just…” He waved a hand at the rail, “I’ve got mixed feelings, y’know?”  
  
“Riiiiiiii~” Hane Kuriboh floated in front of his eyes, lightly trying to nudge his forehead.  
  
“It’s nothing.” Judai promised, stepping back a bit, “It’s just, y’know, I’m going to be thrilled to finally partner with a paladin and move on with life and do great things. But, y’know, I’m gonna miss this place. It’s home, right?”  
  
“Kurrrrrrriiii~” Hane Kuriboh actually looked a little sad for him.  
  
“Hey, don’t sweat it.” Judai reassured the spirit, scratching his cheek, “Sure, leaving will be hard, but I was always gonna have to do it eventually. Besides, there’s a whole world out there, and I can make a place in it no matter where I go!”  
  
He wasn’t exactly sure _what_ he was gonna do after he graduated, actually. He’d never thought that far ahead. There’s all sorts of things that a paladin and necromancer could do, but he never gave it much thought. Nothing beyond becoming a great mage anyway, one of the very best. Maybe being famous wasn’t the most noble of goals, but it was his.

But as for what he was gonna do to get to greatness? He just figured he’d go with whatever his paladin wanted to do. So long as he could visit his friends every now and again he was really fine with whatever. He couldn’t imagine himself pairing with someone that didn’t also want to do something big. Pairs usually at least had some kind of goal that aligned, funnily enough. Or at least his friends seemed to always pair up with someone that had similar goals. Asuka and Jun both wanted to be part of the Mage’s Council, Ryou wanted to be an Arcane Knight and Fubuki wanted to stick with him, there always seemed to be some kind of goal aligned when it came to his friends.  
  
And yes, _Jun_ , we are friends!  
  
He just hoped his paladin actually did have a plan, because Judai just wasn’t good at those. Although if his paladin didn’t then Daichi probably had a billion or so ideas. And if worse came to worst…well, his parents really, really, _really_ want him to work for Kaiba so they could keep an eye on him. Which really wasn’t necessary. He’s sure he’ll be fine. He doesn’t need to be taken care of all the time.  
  
“Riii~” Hane Kuriboh waved himself in front of Judai’s face again, pulling him out of his thoughts.  
  
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll get moving.” He started down the steps again, heading for the mess hall. Hopefully professor Daitokuji had something already cooked up so he could just reheat really quickly and not have to wait. He’d hate to have to ask his teacher to cook up something.  
  
Unfortunately, when he entered their makeshift mess hall there was no one else there. It was unsurprising considering it wasn’t meal time and there were many Slifers to begin with. Most Slifers were either first years that haven’t had a chance to move up or drop out yet. He’s kind of the only Slifer student that’s been here a while. And first years wouldn’t exactly be hanging around the mess hall at noon when they’d have classes running later than his.  
  
Being the only second year around _sucked,_ especially when he should have graduated two years ago. Second years had less classes than first years in general because second year was for finishing up all the basics before you partner up and get ready for the advanced stuff. But he’s repeated second year twice, and he just doesn’t have as many classes as everyone else in his dorm. Which is great for him, because he hates going to class, but that also means no one else is around when he really needs some food.

...wait…

Didn’t that also mean that Daitokuji was in class?  
  
“Aww man.” Judai snapped his fingers. He wrinkled his nose, heading over to the food box in the corner. With luck, there would be food left over from last night. Or, better yet, some that professor Daitokuji made for their lunch.  
  
He peered inside, his stomach already pinching from sudden hunger. It twisted more when he realized there wasn’t any food inside. He groaned out loud, the sheer disappointment crushing him. “Nooooo.”  
  
“Kuriiii…” Hane Kuriboh agreed, closing his little eyes and floating downward softly, like a little feather.  
  
“Nooo.” Judai groaned a second time, secretly hoping that food would appear if he complained hard enough. Unfortunately, food does do that. Well, unless there was a rotten apple he could make ripe or something, but there was _nothing_ here.  
  
“I’m going to dieeeeeeeee.” Judai whined, shutting the door and sliding down against it until his butt hit the floor. He could feel honest hecking tears in his eyes, man. This wasn’t faaaaaaaair. Daitokuji usually had food made, so what was Judai left to starve now of all times?  
  
 _‘You should just start taking cooking classes_ .’ He could just hear professor Daitokuji now, ‘ _We do offer them for interested parties._ ’  
  
“Nooooo, I don’t want classes I don’t even neeeeeeed.” Judai complained even though no one but Hane Kuriboh was around to hear. “I can’t do it. I won’t.”  
  
Hane Kuriboh gave him the most concerned look yet. It was almost funny, except that he was starting to fade in and out, becoming visible and then invisible as the magic in Judai’s viens burned out and a lack of energy started settling in his bones.  
  
“Oh man.” Judai groaned, this time actually disappointed. “Out of time already?”  
  
But Hane Kuriboh couldn’t even answer, because there were only a few more blinks and then he was gone, invisible to Judai’s eyes as the glow in them faded and he was left drained and perfectly out of magic. Granted, he _could_ risk trying to cast the spell again, but complete magical burn out was a good way to end up in the medical wing.

“This sucks.” Judai complains once he’s alone. He bumps his head against the food storage, groaning again. Here he is, stuck alone, no food, hungry and magically drained. This was the worst. Today sucked, with a capital S.

Judai let himself fall to the ground fully now, staring up at the room and wondering what he should do _now_ . Maybe he should just wander around campus and see if anyone has some snacks or something on them? _Someone_ on this campus had to have some food somewhere around here. They may be on an island but people had food flown in from shops all the time.  
  
...shops…  
  
Tome!  
  
Filled with a sudden burst of energy, Judai threw himself up, a sting of hope in his chest. Ms Tome shouldn’t be busy right now, with everyone too busy in class to shop at her store, and she loved him as much as Judai loved her! She was, like, the cool auntie he probably always wanted maybe! Whatever! She would totally love spending time with him. And she’d probably have some snacks too! Win-win!  
  
Judai tore out of the dorm, rushing across the grassy campus. It wasn’t exactly a sunny day, the sky was grey, and the air felt like it was going to rain soon. Still, Judai figured he wasn’t heading back to his dorm anytime soon, so he didn’t slow for even a second, kicking up grass and dirt, dodging the few students that were out of class already. He almost bumped into a few second year Obelisk students, but he ignored their angry cries, too set on reaching Tome’s shop.  
  
He bursts into the shop just before the rain finally starts to fall, the door flinging open and scaring the gal that worked here part time. He doesn’t remember the girl’s name, but he isn’t really focused on her, instead looking for his target. Not seeing Tome in the front he calls out for her, “Ms Tome! Are you here?”  
  
“Is that you, Judai dearie?” Tome’s voice called from somewhere in the back, “Come on in sweetie!”  
  
Judai didn’t waste any time to do just that, beelining for the back. The girl behind the counter, more than familiar with Judai and his frequent visits, didn’t even bother to give him a second glance, letting him pass without another word. He hummed, shuffling past the hanging herbs and crystals, slipping around the tombs and school supplies to the hallway that lead to the storage rooms.  
  
He found Tome in the third storage room, struggling with some heavy boxes. Being the nice guy he is, Judai swooped in to her rescue, catching the other wise of the heavy package and helping her heave it into place. Taking a break from that, Tome whipped her brow with the back of her hand, giving Judai a smile, “Thank you for the help dear.”  
  
“Aww, it’s no problem Tome, you know I’d do anything for you.” Judai winked at her, finding one of the chairs surrounding the work table and throwing himself in it. He leaned back, relaxing a bit after his long run, “So what’s with all the boxes? It’s not supply day.”  
  
Tome sat down too, folding her arms on the table and leaning forward. She had a big ole smile on her face, and she started getting all excited, “Oh, we’re stacking up early to get ready for the guest students.”  
  
“Guest students?” Judai perked up, “What guest students? I didn’t hear about any guest students.”  
  
“Oh Judai, sweetie.” Tome leaned against one hand, waving the other at him like he just said the most adorable thing ever, “Surely you didn’t forget that we’re hosting students from other branches of the school this year’s ritual!”  
  
No, no he had not. In fact, that’s one of the things he was most excited about with this year’s ritual. It was also one of the reasons he had such a good feeling about this year too. There _had_ to be a paladin from one of the other schools that was right for him, someone that could match up and he could work with. Someone that probably failed out on a ritual or two just like him. So he perked up, practically vibrating with excitement, “They’re already coming? I thought they were just here for the ritual!”

Tome only smiled at him again, reaching out to pinch his cheek. He protests, trying to wave her off, but he’s never had the heart to not give Tome what she wanted. So she just keeps pinching that cheek as she talks, “Silly boy, did you think they’d show up, take part, and run off back to school? No, they need time to settle. There’s resting from travel, and restocking food supplies, and taking time to get familiar with the campus, and getting to know their partners. They’re not going to show up and leave.”  
  
Oh, he hadn’t thought of that. He kinda _did_ think they’d show up, stick around for a day or two, and leave. Now he just feels a little silly. “I hadn’t thought about that.”  
  
“Of course you didn’t.” The older woman took her hand away, cupping her face and tilting her head and winking at him, “They’re going to be here for the rest of the year, so I’ve been loading extra stock the last few days. None of them are going to have their usual supplies, y’know?”  
  
It made sense to him, though he wasn’t particularly business savvy, no matter how much his parents wished he’d be a good sales person. But it seemed all logical and such to him. New students meant more people meant more stuff to sell. “So are they gonna be here soon? I haven’t heard anything.”  
  
“Well...that depends.” Tome hums, “Travel is wild from those places. You’ve got some coming in by boat, and some coming in my air. And some already came on their own.”  
  
“There’s already some students _here_ ?” Judai sits up, eyes going wide. “Wow, where are they?”  
  
“I don’t know, in class I assume. Or settling in.” Tome twirling a lock of hair around her finger now, “Chancellor Samejima mentioned that some had already made it when I was talking to him about stocking my shop. I’m not sure when all the others will be here, but I’m sure they’ll all make it before the ritual.”  
  
“Whoa.” He mutters, his stomach twisting a bit. It’s probably the hunger, “Is he going to make an announcement or anything?”  
  
“I don’t think so.” Tome shook her head, “No need to make a spectacle out of it. There’s not long left in the school year.”  
  
“Makes sense.” Judai nodded to himself, “Man, and I’m glad for it. I love this place, but Daichi has probably taken every single class he _can_ take without a partner.”  
  
“Oh, that Misawa.” Tome sighed fondly, “Always so studious and diligent. I do hope he has been remembering to eat.”  
  
At the mention of eating Judais stomach growled, loudly at that. He blushed, the heat stinging his cheeks, and he could only let out an embarrassed chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck. “Say, Tome, speaking of food, you think you could make me something yummy if I load the rest of these boxes for you?”  
  
Tome laughed at that, “Oh Judai, one day you’re going to have to learn to cook for yourself.”  
  
“Why would I need to do that when you and professor Daitokuji cook the best food in the world?” He beamed, leaning forward, “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world that makes better fried shrimp than you two.”  
  
“Aww, you flatterer.” Tome blushed, reaching over to pinch his cheeks again, “Keep that up, dear, flattery will get you everywhere.”  
  
“Does that mean we have a deal?” He perked up, stomach lurching in anticipation.“Of course we do.” She stood up, patting his shoulder, “But, Judai, you will have to learn to cook one day. Much as I would love to, I’m not always going to be here to make snacks for you.”  
  
Oh.  
  
That was a bummer.  
  
“Don’t say that.” Judai frowned, suddenly not feeling so great. “You’re always gonna be here Tome.”  
  
The older woman smiled at him again, fondly, and a little sad. She shifted in front of him, placing both her hands on his shoulders. She took a moment to brush back the bangs from his forehead, her fingers unknowingly brushing a bit against a fine scar from his surgery. “Yes, I’ll probably be here for the rest of my life. But, Judai, dear, you’re going to go on to do great things. I know you will. And when you’re out there, doing those great things, I won’t be there to cook your meals for you.”  
  
Judai’s throat suddenly burned, and his chest hurt. He wanted to rub it, but his hands felt heavy and clumpy, almost chalky. “But...Tome…I can come visit you, right?”  
  
“Of course you can, sweetheart.” She tells him kindly, “While you’re out there, making something great of yourself, I’ll still be here, in my little ole shop, selling to students. I’ll always be here for you, Judai, but those visits you want to make may be few and far in between. There may even be years between them. That’s why I want you to learn to cook, Judai, so that I know that you’re being taken care of while you’re out there.”  
  
Okay, now his eyes were starting to get a bit wet. He blinks them until they’re more manageable, “But Tome…”  
  
“No buts.” Tome scolds him softly, her hands squeezing gently, “Judai, promise me that when you’re out there, becoming a great mage, you’ll take care of yourself.”  
  
“I promise.” He answers slowly, looking up to meet her eyes. And oh no, fuck, her eyes are teary. He can handle that, man. That’s just not fair.  
  
“That’s all I can ask.” She moves her hands after a last squeeze, whipping her eyes and turning away, “I’ll make you fried shrimp. I know that’s your favorite.”  
  
“Thanks.” He mutters, throat still a little tight from the sudden attack. That was brutal, man. Not fair at all. Sneak attack. Now he was going to have to learn how to cook and stuff after all. Dang it. He took a minute to straighten out, drying his eyes and waiting for his throat to stop hurting before he braved talking again, “...Tome?”  
  
“Yes Judai?” She spoke, not turning around yet.  
  
“...can _you_ teach me to cook sometime?” Judai tapped his fingers against the table, “No one makes better fried shrimp than you, and if I’m gonna learn, I should learn from the best.”  
  
Tome turns back to him, her brown braid hanging off her shoulder, and smiles as bright as the sun, “Oh, you. Of course I’ll teach you. When I’m done with you you’ll have all the pretty girls falling for your cooking.”  
  
He didn’t know about _that_ . “Why would I make food for pretty girls?”  
  
She chuckles again, finally turning to face him again and patting his head, “At least you’re a cutie.”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Never mind.” She pats his head again, chuckling fondly, “I suppose it doesn’t matter if you find a pretty girl or not. You’ll have your paladin to keep you company.”  
  
“Wait, what about my paladin?” Judai questions.  
  
“I’ll go make your shrimp now.” She waves him off, leaving the room, “Have fun with the boxes Judai~”  
  
Judai blinks after her, staring at the empty space for a bit before turning to face the massive amounts of boxes, only just realizing he agreed to do all that work by himself. “Oh maaaaan…”  
  
At least he was gonna get food out of this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Slides into fandom sixteen years late with Dunken Donuts] So, how about that GX, huh? I think it was a pretty fun series that had some real potential. 
> 
> But, for serious, I really liked Tome/Ms Dorthy in GX. It isn't often we see an older woman get showcased and be unapologetically happy with herself and her body. GX actually had some really good rep, thinking about it. It treated Asuka very well compared to how the last series treated female duelists, allowing her to have some wins. And while I am absolutely not a fan of Yubel and what they did and how they were handled, having an agendered person be in love with the main character and assume the male main character was in love with another man was surprisingly inclusive. I think the series could use some serious polishing, like was done in the manga, but there were some real golden moments.
> 
> But enough of my feelings on GX. Next chapter we'll actually get Johan, so until then have fun guys.


	3. Chapter 3

The scent of salt was thick in the air as their ship bobbed up and down, battling the tides as their party approached the shore. Duel Academy Island was just on the horizon now, a thin mass of land barely within sight, but even seeing it filled his very bones with excitement. His grip tightened on the ship’s rail, and he found himself leaning forward, anticipation drumming in his veins.  
  
“Ah, your grace, please be careful.” His guardian decided to be fussy, moving over with raised hands, ready to seize him and pull him from over the rail if they had too.  
  
But Johan didn’t let that happen, only smiling at the knight’s efforts and throwing himself back, still holding onto the rail as it bobbed up and down, splashing mists of seawater in his face. “Isn’t this great Emerald?”  
  
Gem-Knight Emerald, disguised as a common traveler at Johan’s insistence, did not look in any way, shape, or form amused. “Your gr-”  
  
“Johan.” The cyan haired boy replied, smiling widely at the man and leaning back far enough to look at him. Like this, he looked upside down, which was a little dizzying considering it was really just Johan upside down, and the ship was bouncing, but he was having fun. “We’re undercover for safety, remember?”  
  
Emerald didn’t seem happy with this reminder, and shared this fact by crossing his arms and frowning deeply, “You’re using your birth name.”  
  
“Plenty of boys from the Crystal Kingdom are named Johan.” The boy replied, winking at his guardian, “Especially after I was born.”  
  
The knight huffed, turning away from his charge. Johan took that as a small victory. He pulled himself back up, letting himself enjoy the sea breeze. It was so bright and sunny, and the day was beautiful. A perfect day to finally stop their travels and reach their new home for the next two months. “Come on, Emerald, we’re almost there!”  
  
But his bodyguard was not having it. The taller man tugged at the neck of his shirt, every bit as irked as a cat wrapped with a wet towel. He’s spent the whole trip unhappy, really, constantly bringing up that they should have brought more guards, more knights. Or they should have taken an airship. The man was a wreck, really. “We should have at least brought Master Diamond.”  
  
“You mean _the_ single most recognizable knight in the Crystal Kingdom?” Johan smiled good naturedly, “Famous even in other Kingdoms Master Diamond? Face well known Master Diamond? Completely going against the point of traveling on the down low, Master Diamond?”  
  
“Incredible swordsman and powerful paladin, Master Diamond.” Emerald hisses, crossing his arms. His nose wrinkles as a mist of seawater blows into his face, “Whose face is largely unknown. And he’s the _least_ of who you should have guarding you. I would advocate Brilliant Diamond escorting you as well.”  
  
“Now _that_ would be excessive.” Johan blanches, turning his wide eyes towards the man. “Emerald, you’re one of the Gem Knights, you’re more than enough guard for me.”  
  
“I am one of the weakest of the Gem Knights.” Emerald told him bluntly, green eyes meeting green eyes as he spoke again, “No matter my unnatural good luck.”  
  
“You’re too hard on yourself.” The younger boy insists, raising his hand and gesturing towards the guard, “You’re part of a legendary order of specialized knights. Even if you don’t consider yourself the strongest, you’re more than capable.”  
  
But it was clear the man did not agree at all with the sentiment, “At the very least you could have traveled with your classmates.”  
  
“You’re the one that insisted traveling with them was too much risk.” Johan wagged his finger at the knight, grinning cheekily. “I’m just following your advice.”  
  
“If I knew you would take my caution as an excuse to galavant alone I’d have well kept my lips sealed.” The man lamented, green eyes rolling upward. The sunny sky man his eyes sparkled like the gem whose name he had taken.  
  
“Don’t be like that.” Johan grinned cheekily at him, winking as he spoke again, “We bought Masumi! She’s a classmate! ...sort of.”  
  
Masumi Kotsu is, technically, not his classmate, seeing as he has had to repeat a few years of school because he hadn’t paired during the right rituals. So while they were in the same _year_ they weren’t in the same _classes_ because Johan and, in previous years, already took every possible class he could before Masumi had gotten the chance. Nevertheless, Masumi was a bold thing, and had through sheer determination inserted herself into his social circle in hopes it would help her achieve her dream of becoming the next Brilliant Diamond.  
  
And, honestly, Johan really liked her. She was smart, and talented, and driven. And it was kinda cute that she looked up to him. He didn’t mind being one of her idols. It was kinda like what he imagined having a kid sister would be like. So when it came time to travel to Duel Island for the ritual he was more than happy to offer her a place in his travels and, secretly, help her out by giving her a chance to show how responsible she was to one of her idols.  
  
“Oh yes.” Emerald spoke flatly, “One student to help me protect you.”  
  
“One very, very, helpful and responsible student.” Johan wagged his finger, clicking his tongue and winking again. “Who has been very nice and helpful.”  
  
“And is neither an experienced warrior or mage.” Emerald shot back, hand on his hip now, “If we were attacked by assassins…”  
  
“Which we weren’t, because we’re smart people that _don’t_ draw loads of attention to ourselves by having a league of knights and wearing expensive armor and finery.” Johan waved off the concern, finally tired of the debate, “Emerald, calm down. There’s no sense in worrying about the what if’s and could have beens. We’re an hour away at best.”  
  
The man huffed, turning to glare at the island.  
  
Johan ignored him, turning back to stare at the place that would be his new home for the next few months.  
  
\--

“Judai, the recipe specifically calls for light brown sugar, not white!” Daichi protested, holding up a brown bag and waving it in Judai’s face. “Put down that sugar or so help me!”  
  
“What the heck is the difference?” Judai scrutinized, eyes narrowing at the back, “Sugar is supposed to be white. I’ve never even _heard_ of brown sugar!”  
  
“Well that’s what the recipe calls for.” Daichi replied, dropping the bag on the counter and stealing away the mixing bowl, half filled with the ingredients for the batter. “We promised Ms. Tome that we would follow the recipe to the very letter and that’s what we’re going to do! She worked hard to find these apple crisp instructions for us and I won’t let it be tarnished!”  
  
“It’s just color!” Judai held up his hands, “Calm down dude.”  
  
“It must not be, or else the instructions wouldn’t be so specific!” Daichi held the mixing bowl to his chest protectively, glaring Judai down like he was a blight on this world for daring to question otherwise. Which was just plain over dramatic in Judai’s humble and apparently very much needed opinion.  
  
“We’re not even getting graded on this.” Judai pointed out, feeling strange at having to be the voice of reason. He hated having to be the voice of reason. That was supposed to be Daichi’s job. Or Asuka’s if Daichi was the one freaking out. But Judai is standing in an Asuka-less kitchen with a freaking out Daichi.  
  
“We may not be earning school credit, but we’re earning something else in this endeavor!” Daichi cried dramatically, whipping a wooden spoon upward like he was raising a sword to the sky. “Nothing worth doing wasn’t worth the extra steps to do _correctly_.”

“Cool.” Judai held his hands up in surrender, “You win, bro, brown sugar it is. I’m just saying…”  
  
“There is obviously a difference! Otherwise the instructions wouldn’t have bothered!” Still holding the bowl to his chest like it was a baby, Daichi firmly poked the cookbook with his free hand, “This is why you almost failed alchemy!”  
  
“I’m just saying!” Judai defended, holding up an egg, “There’s, like, no difference between brown and white eggs? So why is there a difference between brown and white sugar?”  
  
“There’s a difference because the book specified one over the other.” Daichi insisted, opening the bag of brown sugar, side eyeing Judai like he was gonna toss the bag of white sugar into the mix if he wasn’t closely watched. Rude. Daichi sniffed the sugar, humming at the scent, and poured however much the book told him to. “Cooking is just basic mathematics. All you need to do is follow the answers that have already been calculated for you.”  
  
“You make everything mathy.” Judai pouted, crossing his arms. Why was everything always math? Math was hard. It made his brain hurt, and his brain was already working overtime to keep up with everything after the huge holes in his memory.  
  
“Mathematics is the very foundation of the world!” Daichi waved the spoon at him, flinging a little of the batter onto the brunette’s cheek. Judai whipped it, tasting the batter. Hmm, not bad, but not a lot of flavor either. Maybe it would be better after they added all those apples he was cutting up.  
  
“And _now_ we add the white sugar.” Daichi nodded, grabbing the bag he had _just_ made such a big deal to Judai about not adding.  
  
“Hey!” Judai pointed at the tiny knife he was cutting apples with at Daichi, “You just about smacked me for trying to add the white sugar!”  
  
“The recipe calls for half as much white sugar as brown, _and_ to add it after mixing.” Daichi justifies, tapping his mighty wooden spoon against the bowl. “The recipe calls for this step for a reason, Judai. Always trust the recipe.”  
  
“...Daichi, are you doin’ okay?” Juda raised a brow. This really wasn’t out of character for his friend, but, like, he seemed even more weirdly protective of his mathy rules than normal. Judai wrinkled his nose, deciding he’ll get more out of this if he raises his hands in surrender, “You’re being weird.”  
  
“It’s not weird to want to perfect a recipe, Jaden.” Daichi was mixing the batter _really_ hard now. “We’re going to have to eat this you know. Don’t want to get sick.”  
  
“Cool.” Judai shrugged. “But are you sure you don’t want me to just…”  
  
“I think not!” Daichi held the bowl to his chest like it was his baby or something. “I don’t trust you after the white sugar comment!”  
  
“Dude, are you sure you’re alright?” Judai jerked back, blinking. “I’m, like, here for you bro. There’s clearly some kinda, I don’t know, control issue going on here.”  
  
“There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to take our cooking lessons seriously.” Daichi started lecturing, waving his wooden spoon in Judais face and getting that one look he got when he thought he was explaining a very simple thing to a very big idiot. “Ms. Tome took valuable time and energy out of her day to set this all up for us and show us what to do and I, for one, am not going to throw her generosity in her face by making something inedible!”  
  
“Daichi, bro.” Judai held up his hands, “Tome probably won’t mind you adding one sugar before the other. Seriously, what is this? What’s going on?”  
  
“I want decent food, that’s what’s going on!” Daichi defended defensively because he was on the defensive...or something.  
  
“It’s stress, isn't it?” Judai pointed an accusing finger at the boy, “You’re, like, totally stressed out right now! You’re _stress baking._ ”  
  
“It’s not stress baking if it's apple crisp.” Daichi denied.  
  
“But it’s stress!” Judai leaned forward, feeling very smart for having puzzled together what was going on with his buddy. Now to fix it! He leaned forward, elbows on the counter. “Wanna talk about it?”  
  
“I’m not stressed, I’m _focused_.” Daichi scolded, waving that spoon again. “As you should be if you want to get this dish done.”  
  
“Okay, okay, cool. You don’t want to talk about it and that’s totally fine. Some people don’t wanna talk about this stuff.” Judai held up his hands again, backing up a step, “So I’m going to give you so spac-”  
  
“Don’t you _dare_ take a single step out of this kitchen Judai.” Daichi snapped, turning fully away from the bowl now. His grey eyes were narrowed dangerously, and the Slifer red student suddenly got the feeling he was walking on very, very, _very_ thin ice. “You need to learn this too, and I’ll for one not stand by and watch it happen! I’ve invested too much into our friendship for such a thing!”  
  
“Okay, okay, cool.” Judai stepped forward again, laughing nervously, “Don’t give you space then, and don’t talk about it. Cool, alright. I can just stand here and very carefully...watch you? Yeah. Watching you. Watching you with all my _quiet_ emotional support.”  
  
“I don’t need emotional support, I need you to listen to me.” Daichi pointed at the bowl, “So that you’ll know how to make simple food!”  
  
“Alright.” Judai sat on one of the stools next to the counter, folding his arms and giving up on actually helping in favor of watching his pal have his totally-not-a-meltdown. “I’m listening. All ears buddy.”  
  
“Good.” Daichi sniffed, turning back to the bowl. He stood there, back straightened rigidly, mixing the bowl with his nose slightly in the air and his eyes shut. “Honestly Judai, you’d think by now you’d have learnt that you have to be careful with instructions. Especially considering our line of work.”  
  
“Right.” Judai nodded.  
  
“All I’m saying is that it’s very troubling that you can’t seem to follow simple instructions.” Daichi continued, tapping the bowl again and moving to start up the stone oven, “I mean, really. What if this was preparation for a ritual instead of simple cooking? You’d have killed yourself.”  
  
“You know I’d never skip around steps for _work_ Daichi.” Judai assured his friend, a little bit hurt by the accusation.  
  
“I can’t be certain of that when you’re throwing things into a bowl willy nilly, Judai.” Daichi lectured again, “For all we know going out of order could poison the food. You have to be careful with these kinds of things. We certainly can’t afford to make any mistakes now. Soon you and I will be out in the world with our trade.”  
  
“Oh great.” Judai blew out a thin breath, “You’ve thought yourself into a panic again and now you’re convinced you’re going to end up partnerless and stuck opening a shop with me again, haven’t you?”  
  
“Our shop will never be successful with that attitude, Judai.” Daichi cracked open one of his eyes. “How are we going to be the best shop in the land if you can’t even follow simple cooking directions.”  
  
“Oh my gooooooooood.” Judai threw his head back, looking to the heavens for an answer. “Daichi, I wanna be a good pal, but this is the third time this _week_ you’ve had this freakout. So I’m gonna shut up and leave you to your baking.”  
  
“You’re not taking this very seriously at all, are you?” Daichi demanded as he poured the mixture into a glassy pan-thingy. He slammed the now empty bowl on the counter, turning on Judai, “Judai, this is our life.”  
  
“No, it’s an apple crisp, and you’re going insane.” Judai pointed at him, “Did you even catch any sleep last night? You’re being awfully cranky.”  
  
“Don’t lecture me when you’re the one not following directions.” Daichi shot back, but he didn’t deny Judai’s guess either!  
  
“I knew it! That’s why you’re being such a dick!” Judai accused, eyes narrowing, “Dude, let me finish the rest, go get some sleep.”  
  
“I can’t trust you to follow simple directions.” Daichi snapped again, crossing his arms, “I’m not leaving until that crisp is done.”  
  
Okay, that hurt a little bit. But Judai knew his friend was just being a cranky asshole because he was stressed and running on probably no sleep and blah blah. Still, hurts man. Hurts right in the heart. It wasn’t like Judai was trying to be annoying or untrustworthy or anything. “Look, I promise I’ll follow the directions to the letter. Just go get some sleep.”  
  
Daichi didn’t even bother speaking this time, just giving him a sharp look and slamming open the fire and stone oven, tossing in the dessert and slamming the door closed again. Judai grimaced as Daichi pulled up a stool, sitting on it silently with his arms crossed.  
  
He was able to be quiet for all of a minute before restless tremors vibrated through his body, and soon he found his mouth running without his permission, “I want you to know that even though you’re being a total asshole right now you’re still one of my best pals and I know you’re going to feel bad about this later so I already forgive you and get why you’re being an asshole.”  
  
Daichi was still quiet for a minute, but his body untensed at the words. His shoulders dropped, and his head hung low, and Judai felt like his buddy was already feeling bad. He still didn’t say anything though, and that was more than alright with Judai. Their friendship was more than strong enough to withstand a little assholishness. Besides, Judai has had more than enough assholish moments since he’d come to the academy.  
  
The two of them sat in silence for a while, sometimes standing up to check the oven, or breath life back into the flames. It was supposed to take a while for the dessert to cook, but that was okay. Daichi already looked like he was starting to doze off, and that was good for him probably.  
  
Tome came back to the kitchen about half way through the actual baking, smiling wildly and carrying a basket in her arms. A first year with a modified uniform was following her, looking all sorts of grumpy, his own arm holding a basket full of colorful flowers. They looked a lot like his hair, actually, all purple and pink and such. Judai peered over curiously, spotting a Slifer red cape hanging from his shoulders.  
  
“Hello boys~” Tome practically sang, waving her hand and smiling wide and happy, “How goes the baking?”  
  
Daichi shot up, jumping to his feet, “We followed the instructions perfectly!”  
  
The boy behind Tome scoffed, looking so unimpressed with them that for a moment Judai wondered if the kid was related to Professor Chronos somehow. He was sure dressed fancy enough to be related. But then again, Professor Chronos would _never_ let a relative of his be in Slifer red.  
  
“That’s good to hear~” Tome cupped her own face, walking over to the counter and putting her basket on the counter. “Just drop them off her Yuri, I’ll go get a vase~”  
  
“Did someone send you flowers again Tome?” Judai stood up, now eyeing the basket with all his attention. Wasn’t pink the color of love or something like that?  
  
“Oh, just the Chancellor.” Tome gushed, face going pink, “North Academy sent it’s students with a gift for me, so Samejima sent sweet little Yuri here over with some flowers for little ole me~.”  
  
The sweet little Yuri in question looked anything but sweet. In fact, he looked ready to grab one of the knives and stab them all in the face. Or maybe it was just his eyebrows. Those eyebrows made his face look really, really, evil. Maybe if he plucks them he’ll look less murder happy? Either way, Judai kept his mouth shut about that because the last time he tried to give someone advice like that Edo Phenoix declared him public enemy number one and tried to murder him. Edo still says he was out to _rehabilitate_ him, but Judai says that the walking corpses chasing him looked pretty ready to eat him. Edo had responded that, clearly, he couldn’t have known that Judai was too weak to deal with the walking corpses. Which totally wasn’t fair, cause Edo has a whole team of paired necromancers helping him out, and Judai was one tiny unpaired necromancer trying to survive being eaten.  
  
Daichi elbowed him, and Judai realized he’d been staring at those eyebrows for too long and now Yuri looked double ready to stab him in particular. So he does what he does best, tries to laugh off his bad first impression and reaches out a hand to introduce himself, “I’m Juda-”  
  
“I know who you are.” The boy scolds, looking even more ready to stab him somehow. Judai was probably going to have to resign himself to dying in his sleep tonight, especially since he apparently shared a dorm with this kid, and the kid also apparently knew who he was, and probably knew where his room was. He’s definitely asking Daichi for a sleepover. Especially with the way Yuri was eyeing his hand, like it was some kind of disease or something. Those pink eyes flickered upwards, drilling holes into Judai’s amber eyes. “I am Yuri, Slifer red apprentice.”  
  
 _Apprentice_. Now that sounded fancy. He glanced at Daichi out the corner of his eye, trying to see his reaction so he’d know if this is normal or not. Going by the wide-eyed surprise on the other boy’s face he was guessing not.  
  
Not knowing if he should say anything about that or not, Judai laughed it off, scratching the back of his neck, reaching for the first thing not that he could think of, “Ha, nice to meet you?”  
  
If Yuri looked murderous before, that was nothing compared to now.  
  
 _Damn it, what did he even do wrong?_  
  
“Yuri here is just a delight.” Tome was still gushing, bringing out a vase from somewhere in the vast reaches of the kitchen. She hummed, delighted, even doing a little twirl. “Doctor Akaba has been sponsoring him. It’ll be such a shame to lose all three of you to the ritual this year.”  
  
Professor Akaba? That weirdo? Wow, no wonder the kid was so murdery. Judai is pretty sure Dr. Akaba would happily sacrifice everyone in this school to a demon. And the kid was already taking the ritual? But this kid didn’t even look old enough to be a first year. How the heck was he already part of the ritual this year? He glanced back over at Daichi, trying to see if _this_ was normal, but going by his friend’s downright shocked look he was gonna guess not.  
  
“Wow, already going to pair off? Congrats!” Judai decided to try and be optimistic. “I bet you’re excited! Gonna find a…?”  
  
Yuri was the most unimpressed and yet somehow still homicidal kid that Judai had ever seen, and the flat look he gave somehow still managed to convey just how little respect he had for everyone in the room, and yet still found himself disappointed. “Are you brain damaged?”  
  
Judai jerked back. Okay, wow, that hurt. “I mean...”  
  
Daichi was the want that jerked this time, his grey eyes snapping to him, “What? Judai, don’t joke about such things.”  
  
Judai tapped his finger to his temple. “Botched brain surgery. Lost all of my memory a few years ago. Had to relearn pretty much everything.”  
  
You could feel the silence falling over them. Both Tome and Daichi looked really, really, pale at that information. On the bright side though, Yuri looked _much_ less murder happy. He still looked pretty vicious though, but now he actually looked interested and not keen to stab Judai in his sleep, rubbing his chin thoughtfully and smiling an evil little smile, “Interesting. So you’re basically an infant.”  
  
“Hey!” Judai pointed at the little _brat_. “I am not! I just had to relearn a lot! I’m still grown with all those...hormones and such!”  
  
“I’ll bet you are.” Yuri drawled, or leered. He somehow made that sentence sound slimy either way. Evil child. Trash child. What did Judai ever do to him? And why hadn’t they met sooner? This kid was great.  
  
“The only baby here is you.” Judai did the bravest thing he’d ever done and reached over to pinch the kid’s cheek. Yuri instantly looked murderous all over again, and Judai was pretty sure that he absolutely should sleep in Daichi’s room tonight instead of his own. Still, he wouldn’t be Judai Yuki if he wasn’t being recklessly brave, so of course his mouth kept running ahead of him, “Lookit your little baby face. Lookit your chubby cheeks. Are you even old enough to be a first year? Nope, because you’re a baby.”  
  
“ _Dear gods he’s going to die._ ” Daichi whispered softly, but with a lot of feeling.  
  
Yuri’s hand struck out like a cobra or something, slapping Judai’s away with a loud smack. The kid _hissed_ at him, like a _cat_ . Holy shit that was adorable. This kid was just an angry murder kitten. “How _dare_ -”  
  
Tome followed Judai’s lead and pinched Yuri’s other cheek, “Isn’t he just a doll?”  
  
A sound like a dying animal came from Daichi, but it wasn’t as funny as the way Yuri’s whole face was just rapidly turning a blotchy red from the sheer outrage he was clearly experiencing. “So are you a paladin? I know Professor Akaba is one.”  
  
“I’m a _necromancer_.” Yuri’s tone definitely promised that Judai was absolutely getting murdered tonight. Well, jokes on Yuri, he’ll never find Daichi’s room in time!  
  
“Just like Daichi and me!” Judai waved over at his friend, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else in the world but in this kitchen right now. The Ra yellow student took an incredibly unsubtle step backwards, going back to the stove and probably deciding that he was just going to pretend nothing was happening and no one in this kitchen existed except for him. Judai couldn’t even blame him. Judai grinned, because obviously he was making good life choices today. “Bet you’re excited to get a paladin.”  
  
“Bet you’re excited to _fail_ at finding a paladin again.” Yuri hissed, aiming to kill.  
  
But Judai had heard worse from people closer to him, so he just laughed it off, “No shame in failing. Don’t worry if you don’t find a paladin. You’re just a baby.”  
  
Yuri looked at him like he was the biggest disappointment in the boy’s life, which was impressive since the kid was Professor Akaba’s student. Because Professor Akaba was like a discount Professor Chronos if Chronos was a bad teacher and twice the asshole.  
  
That’s right, he said it.  
  
“It would be impressive if you found a paladin at only fourteen.” Tome cupped her face, happy as a lamb. “All my boys are so talented.”  
  
Yuri’s hand started reaching for a knife. But Tome and Judai were saved by Daichi, who slammed the stove shut loudly and was suddenly between Yuri and the knives, holding up the apple crips in his mitton covered hands, “Dessert is ready! Who wants dessert? I don’t know about any of you, but I would love some apples right now.”  
  
Bless Daichi, only he could save lives with freshly baked desserts.

The young apprentice scoffed, turning around and walking out the room without another word, too infuriated at the failed murder attempt to continue on probably. Judai probably would have to sleep in Daichi’s room tonight, no joke. Tome seemed either oblivious to the kid’s murderous nature, or just outright considered it cute, because all she did was wave after him, “Bye Yuri~ I’ll see you next time.”  
  
Daichi let out a loud sigh of relief, leaning over the steaming dessert, sounding very distressed as he spoke, “Please never antagonise someone like that again.”  
  
“Yuri? Oh, he’s just a little grumpy.” Tome dismissed, turning to Daichi with a smile, “He just needs a little extra love and care. It can’t be easy for him. Being sponsored by…”  
  
She trailed off, probably not wanting to say anything bad about Professor Akaba. But that was impossible, because Professor Akaba has the personality of wet hair in a drain pipe. Judai actually did feel sorry for the kid for a moment. Couldn’t be easy depending on that asshole to stay in school. He knows academia isn’t cheap at all, and the kid is clearly too young to be here. Judai isn’t sure how he missed him, but now he felt kinda sorry he had.  
  
“Just don’t antagonise him.” Daichi sighed, pushing his apple crisp towards Tome. “We finished.”  
  
The older woman didn’t look at it for a moment, staring out the door like she wanted nothing more than to go after Yuri. But she shook her head, turning to Daichi and smiling a little weaker now, looking at the dessert and nodding her head, “It looks lovely boys. I can tell it’s a real labor of love.”

Daichi brightened at the praise, perking up proudly. “Your praise means everything Ms. Tome.”  
  
“Oh Misawa, you sweetheart.” Tome pat his shoulder, “I can’t wait to try it. Grab some spoons boys, you deserve it.”  
  
“Oh boy.” Judai didn’t waste any time doing as she said, forgetting about Yuri and Professor Jerkaba and tearing his way through the kitchen in search of the mighty spoons. “I bet this is going to be delicious.”  
  
“Of course it is.” Daichi stated proudly, his nose in the air again, “I followed the recipe to the very letter.”  
  
Oh boy, here he goes again.  
  
Judai decided to not go down that road and stabbed the dessert with his spoon, scooping up a large and gooey portion, steam rising from it in huge waves. Impatient to try it, he blew on it until there wasn’t as much steam, shoving it into his mouth. His eyes watered instantly, and by Slifer did it burn. He dropped his spoon on the table, tears rolling down his face in waves, swallowing down and sweet and delicious pain.  
  
Daichi just sighed like he was experiencing all the pain in the world. He looked upwards, like he was speaking to the gods themselves, “I chose this.”  
  
“That was delicious.” Judai replied when he finally managed to swallow it all. It felt like lava all the way down to his stomach, and his mouth was stinging, but it was totally worth it.  
  
“It’ll be better if you don’t burn your insides trying to eat it.” Daichi ran both his hands through his hair, looking so stressed it wasn’t even funny. “Just wait a few minutes for it to cool. Judai, I’m begging you, have a sense of self preservation.”  
  
“Never.” Judai promised vehemently.  
  
“...I thought not.” Daichi sighed, dropping into the stool next to the Slifer student and grabbing his own spoon. “Don’t blame me when you burn off all your taste buds.”  
  
“Speaking of, can I sleep over tonight? I’m pretty sure that kid is going to murder me in my sleep if I stay alone.” Judai poked the Ra student in the arm.  
  
“Of course.” Daichi sighed again, looking exhausted. But, hey, that just means he’ll actually get some sleep tonight! And Judai could make sure he doesn’t stay up stressing over nothing. This was working out perfectly.  
  
“You’re the best, Daichi.” Judai gave him a thumbs up.  
  
“Thank you, Judai.” Daichi gave up on something right then and there, grabbing his spoon and joining in on the dessert consumption. “I’m fond of our friendship too.”  
  
Sweet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Judai burning himself on a hot apple crisp a metaphor for his budding friendship with Yuri and how it'll sting at first, but if he waits patiently he'll be rewarded with sweet apple friendship? 
> 
> No, no it is not.
> 
> On that note, fuck Professor Akaba and his Solas from Dragon Age like mindset. Also, someone save the Yuboys and bracelet girls from Arc V.


End file.
